Welcome to the future? China unveils giant 'Mecha Robot' that walks, transforms & smashes walls: WATCH

A Chinese robotics company, Unitree Robotics, has started selling a giant pilotable robot with a cost of €500,000, which walks on two legs, and can also break the walls after smashing it. The Chinese company has quickly become one of the world's most prolific robot manufacturers that consistently produce, deploy, and innovate high volumes of robots. The company has now unveiled the GD01, which is being marked as the first production-ready manned transformable mecha in the world.

The pilotable robot is nearly 2.8 metres tall, which allows a human pilot to climb up and operate it from an open cockpit in its torso, similar to what we see in science fiction movies. The robot is capable of walking on two legs in a humanoid posture, but can also shift into a four-legged configuration to better navigate challenging terrain.

It carries a starting price tag of 3.9 million yuan (around €500,000). However, Unitree Robotics has yet to reveal key technical specifications, including battery life, top speed, payload capacity, and overall operating time.

From robot dogs to pilotable robots

Founded in 2016 in Hangzhou by engineer Wang Xingxing, the company initially focused on quadruped “robot dogs” inspired by research machines such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. Wang is said to have developed his first quadruped robot as part of his university thesis before leaving drone giant DJI to launch his own venture.

Nearly a decade later, Unitree Robotics commands around 70 per cent of the global quadruped robot market. In 2025, it delivered over 5,500 humanoid robots, surpassing every other manufacturer worldwide, including Tesla. Its robots also made a high-profile appearance during China’s widely watched Spring Festival Gala.